CHAPTER 50
Ben found himself smiling, pleasantly surprised at Lainie’s change of heart. He’d missed being around her, hearing how she thought, seeing how she responded to different circumstances. It dawned on him that it had been a long time since he’d dated anyone. Most women he met didn’t understand his work, and that made relationships hard.
Lainie was different. They’d only known each other for a short time, yet he felt connected. Was it possible she could feel the same way?
They ended up at P.F. Chang’s.
“How long have Stan and Evie been married?” Ben asked as they were led to a table.
“Eight years.” Lainie paused as they sat. “I confess I’m still working out how I feel toward Stan. He’s caused Evie so much pain, physical and emotional. If Stan talks to anyone, it will be Evie. She might even get the truth out of him.”
“Do you think Stan would talk to me?” Ben asked.
Surprise crossed her features. “I don’t know. I guess it depends on what happens with Evie. My guess is that she’ll urge him to confess, come clean about everything. If he listens to her, he may talk to you.”
“He was closer to Efren than he admits. At least from what Efren wrote in his notes.”
“How so?”
“He was at their house several times for barbecues. He even wrote about spending time with your nephews. When you talked to Stan, he just glossed over his relationship with Efren, acted like he barely knew him.”
Lainie nodded. “The vibe I got from him that day is that he was lying. Stan is self-serving at every level. I’ll give Evie a call and ask her to drop a hint and suggest he speaks to you.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you, again, for what you did for the boys.” Her eyes sparkled and Ben felt a little lost in her gaze. “You took a big chance, put yourself at risk.”
He took a deep breath, feeling that they had a connection deeper than just colleagues and maybe more than simple gratitude. It wasn’t a feeling that he wanted to stifle.
“I did my job, Lainie. I simply thank God that I was in the right place at the right time.” He put his hand over hers, and she didn’t move it away.
Lainie spent the next morning arranging her new furniture and watching the clock. Evie had called her the night before to let her know that the hope of meeting with Stan was now a firm reality.
“Wow, that was fast.”
“His public defender is a woman,” Evie said. “She was very helpful in arranging the meeting. She said that Stan is eager to see me and has been asking about me.”
“I pray that the meeting is what you need, that Stan is honest with you. If you’re able, will you ask him and his lawyer if he will talk to Ben Isaacs?”
“The FBI agent? Of course. I want Stan to be honest and tell the authorities all that he knows. The public defender told me all the charges against him. I can’t believe Stan is guilty of all that.”
“If it’s any consolation, I also don’t think he’s guilty of everything.”He’s guilty enough,Lainie thought, but she didn’t say it.
Even though she could admit to herself that forgiving Ben was the right thing, Stan was another issue altogether. She knew holding a grudge, or harboring anger in her heart concerning Stan, would only damage her; it would never affect Stan. Still, there was a wall between what she knew she should do and what she was doing. Daily in her prayer time Lainie asked for help regarding Stan. Some days it was easier than other days.
Would Stan tell Evie anything important, or would he continue lying and feeling sorry for himself? Evie promised to call when the meeting was over.
Her phone rang. Caller ID said Ben, not Evie. The excitement she felt seeing Ben’s number caught her a bit by surprise.
“Hello, Ben.” Could he hear the smile in her voice?
“Lainie, sorry to bug you, but have you heard from your sister?”
“You’re not bugging me at all. I’m honestly as eager as you are.”
“Have you eaten yet? I can bring over a pizza and we can eat and wait together.”
“That sounds great,” she said, and it did. She was very glad that she and Ben were back in sync.
